You know me, Eddie
by KenzieKaddl
Summary: Elizabeth is a new orderly working in Mount Massive Asylum's female ward. It wasn't until she was transferred to the male ward did things go awry. She always knew there was something not right with the Asylum or it's head director, Jeremy Blaire, but she did not expect the horrors that were hidden just beneath her feet. (Eddie Gluskin x OC)
1. Snap Out Of It

**Welcome to Mount Massive**

Mount Massive Asylum has never been what you would call a "welcoming place". What with it's next to nowhere location, it's less than friendly staff and, worst of all, it's patients. Of course, I collectively ignored all these traits when I was hired as an orderly. I mean, a job is a job and being a twenty something straight out of med school meant I definitely needed the money. I took the job in 2011 and have been trapped ever since; working everyday for the past two years under contract.

I felt I had made a deal with the devil and that devil went by the name of Jeremy Blaire a.k.a. Asshole McGee. You could say Mr. McGee had me under his thumb, but on a very rare occasion I didn't mind his tyrannical presence.

To be perfectly honest, the only thing that kept me going were the patients I looked after in the female ward. Sometimes they made more sense than the rest of the people in the asylum and it worried me that I was going a little loony myself. I loved those old bats and from what I could tell they enjoyed my company as well.

Sometimes when the asylum got a little too dark and depressing I felt obligated to shine a little light on their day. Being the painful optimist that I am I would often play music for them or initiate arts and crafts or even take them out for a stroll inside the asylum gates. It wasn't much, but they seemed to appreciate my gestures.

I tried so hard to keep my smile bright for my patients, but over time the weight of the asylum deteriorated my happy disposition and it was getting harder and harder to be positive. I was annoying myself with my constant state of hopefulness.

Quite recently, I was transferred away from my patients and into the male ward. It felt like I had entered a whole new, terrifying world. Apparently, my transfer was brought upon by an outbreak in the female ward meaning all the women had to be evacuated. It was strange to say the least and although my suspicion continued to grow the orderlies were forbidden to ask any nosy questions. I knew it was best to just keep my mouth shut.

The male ward was uninviting to say the least. The patients had not seen any kind of TLC in a long time. They spat whenever I walked into the room, they cursed whenever I came too close, and they broke nearly everything I offered them. If they couldn't break it they'd throw it back in my face. They drained every cliché happy thought I had ever stored away in my head.

Except for one soul. His name was Eddie Gluskin and he was indeed a charmer. I still remember our first encounter. I was making my way around the male ward introducing myself to anyone who would listen and I saw Eddie sitting alone; staring out the window. I introduced myself as the new orderly and he took me by the hand and kissed it only to be restrained by security.

He more or less sparked my attention, so I took the liberty to skim through his file. "Serial murderer." "Mutilated multiple women." Okay, maybe I was going crazy. Still, he was the only one who had shown me any sort of kindness and I had a feeling he would be my only "friend" in this rat hole.

He was good company, but I had to remind myself to keep a safe distance away. These men were not like their lady counterparts. They could rip me to shreds. To be fair, I was a tall girl, but I was still no match for them and especially not Eddie.

He was extremely tall and built almost to a T. He was lean, but his patient outfit still screamed against his muscles. He looked like he could have been a swimmer before he came to the asylum.

I would try not to stare, but holy shit was it hard. His tuft of dark, black hair was always slicked back against his pale skin which contrasted with his bright eyes. Oh, and his eyes… they were almost too blue to be true. Of course, I'd always catch myself thinking these insane things and mentally slap myself for being an idiot.

Whenever I was free I would occasionally visit him in his room, security at the ready, and we would exchange stories or I'd give him activities to do. Recently, I brought him the latest crossword puzzle from the village down the mountain, but what he really liked to do was talk and boy, did he talk.

My theory was that he just liked the sound of his own voice, because, I swear to God, when you got him started there was no foreseeable end. Though, his stories were so far-fetched that they were almost hard to hear, especially after reading about what happened to him as a child. Nonetheless, I would let him ramble on for hours about fishing with his Father and going to the city with his Mother. I felt a tiny bit of sympathy for the guy, but he was a murderer. I had to remember that.

Today was his birthday and I spent the majority of my day searching each and every thrift store for a present he might like. What I really wanted to buy for him were a few cassette tapes since he loved to sing. On late nights I would catch him humming from the inside of his room when he was supposed to be asleep. It would break my heart when I had to tell him to stop so the other patients could rest.

On hour three of my search I finally came across an old cassette bin. After much digging, I was able to find a dusty recording labeled "American Quartet"; Eddie's favorite ensemble group. The heavens sang to me as I held it in my hands. He could gripe at me no longer for playing my music which he thought was too "vulgar" for a lady. After claiming a few more tapes, I rushed out of the store, hopped into my blue Honda, and raced back up the mountain.

The sun boiled intensely through the open windows of the asylum; baking everyone inside. As I stepped into the men's ward I could smell the thick perfume of male bodies. Another thing I missed about the female ward was being able to breathe through my nose. Luckily, Eddie's room always smelled pleasant.

He smiled brightly at me as I knocked on the door frame and entered the small room; security lacing the door behind me. I kept the cassette tapes behind my back just out of sight to gather his suspicion.

A smirk played on his lips and he rose an eyebrow teasingly, "What are you hiding from me, you minx?" I let myself smile as I revealed his presents. His eyes widened as he took them. He stared at them with an intensity I hadn't seen before. I could only guess what kind of childhood story he was making up in his head as he held them.

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to wrap them. I knew dinner was soon, so I hurried into town before the store could close. Do you like it?" I asked; admiration still apparent on his face. He held the tapes every so gently as if a single wrong move would break them.

"This is wonderful. I haven't listened to American Quartet since I was a boy. My Mother would often play them for me on her old record player; a reward for having finished mowing the lawn. Then we would sit back and drink ice, cold lemonade until it grew dark or until Father came home from work. Thank you so much, Elizabeth," he smiled and stood up; arms wide, welcoming me in for a hug, but I knew I couldn't return it. It went completely against regulation, so I smiled back at him and he eventually lowered his arms looking a little defeated.

"Well, let's pop it in! I want to have a listen," I said. He stood from his bed and we walked out to the recreation area. Sitting alone in the corner of the room was an aged cassette player, because, God forbid, Jeremy Blaire buy the patients a nice CD player or even a TV.

Eddie slid the tape in carefully then wiped the dust off on his pants. Static scratched it's way out of the dirty speakers and for a second I panicked. Was something wrong with the tapes? Suddenly, music filled the room. The music was terribly old, but it was rather catchy. It was then accompanied by a four part chorus which Eddie seemed to know quite well.

Eddie started singing along with the unfamiliar tune; his voice soft, but rich as he effortlessly sang the melody and he slowly strode toward me. As he began to reach out, security jumped to attention; hands on their nightsticks, but I gave them a short shake of my head.

Eddie took my hand and we started dancing slowly. Security once again slumped back into their docile state. I only hoped that they still had their eye on Eddie just in case he tried anything.

We both kept a safe distance between us; at least two phone books apart, but I was still close enough to feel the intense heat that radiated from his body. The electric fans that surrounded us were pointless for I could still feel a steady stream of sweat drip down my back. It was unbearable, but Eddie didn't seem to mind. His stare never faltered as it beckoned me to look directly back into those blue, blue eyes. We continued to spin around and around and with each passing twirl I fell deeper into his gaze.

"Turn that shit off! I don't want to listen to pussy music!" A variant screamed as he pounded his hands against his head. A twitch of anger flashed across Eddie's face and it brought me out of my trance. The variant screeched again, "Turn it off!" The man charged toward Eddie and I like a bulldozer. Eddie pushed me to the floor with a solid thud and tackled the man immediately. His hands wrapped around the variant's neck like a snake choking the life out of prey. Veins had become visible on Eddie's neck while his face went beat red from rage. Security tried to pull the huge man off, but it was to no avail.

The only thing I could do was watch in horror as Eddie literally choked the life out of this man. I wasn't able to speak or think. All I could do was watch.

When they finally managed to pry Eddie from the other variant it was too late. The man's mouth gaped wide open like he was forever in shock and a thick, purple bruising had already formed along the neckline. His eyes remained open; lifeless and terrified. Only then did I realize how dangerous Eddie Gluskin truly was.


	2. What You Know

**Project Walrider**

A few weeks after the "incident", tensions began to die down and Eddie was eventually discharged from solitary confinement. Eddie was free to mingle with the other variants once again just so long as he remained under strict surveillance. When I caught wind of the news I didn't know exactly what to feel. I sure as hell wasn't as eager to meet with him on a regular basis, but I had to admit it was pretty lonely without him to talk to.

After much self preparedness, I finally mustered up the courage to meet with him again. I'd like to say I was pleasantly surprised to find that he was his charming, old self once more, but something was off. He seemed too normal; almost like nothing had even happened in the first place.

Nonetheless, it was nice being able to visit with him again and something in me hoped he felt likewise. However, one thing I was certain of was that he missed having someone to talk to, because before I could even walk through the door to his room he started chatting up a storm right away. It was as if during solitary confinement he had bottled away every single one of his thoughts then decided to unleash all of them unto me in one fail blow. For quite a while, he whined about how alone he felt locked away in that awful room and how he had counted down the hours until he could see me again. If his words weren't so creepy they would be flattering.

As he continued to talk I tried to look for any tell-tale signs that just maybe he had some sort remembrance of killing the variant, but the longer I looked the less I saw. Maybe he really didn't remember or maybe… maybe what I saw in him was no remorse. The latter scared me.

One day, while I was replacing bed sheets in the patient's rooms, I heard my name over the loud speaker. The disembodied voice told me to meet with Asshole McGee himself in his office. I groaned audibly. The last thing I wanted to do was talk to that cheap pig. He brought out the absolute worst in me.

Begrudgingly, I made my way down to his lair and slid in through the big oak door. Unbelievable. His office was as cool as a spring morning while the rest of the damn Asylum was burning alive.

As I stepped in the room he spun his big leather chair around; greeting me with an impish grin that made my blood boil. I crossed my arms, but managed to curl my lips up into what was supposed to be a smile. I didn't rightly care how faux it may have looked. "You wanted to see me, sir?" I asked politely.

He tapped his pen to his chin in thought, "…Erika? No… Elaine. Am I right?" I sighed. The urge to roll my eyes was powerful, but I forced them to stay put. "Elizabeth, sir," I answered curtly. He clapped his hands and rolled back in his chair, "Elizabeth, of course! Queen Elizabeth. Look, I need you to prep Gluskin for a brain scan. Could you do that for me, your majesty?"

My eyebrows furrowed and I shook my head. "Brain scan? He's not due for a brain scan for at least another month," I countered. Blaire chewed his pen in annoyance as he took a quick, haphazard look through a file he had sitting open on his desk. He pressed his index finger down on the papers. "Are you telling me this is wrong? By God, you should run this place. Please forgive me. I'm just a lowly executive director." I glared down at his nametag; not brave enough for his eyes, "I'll get him ready."

Eddie sat completely still in the prepping chair; eyes wandering around like a child in a dentist's office. While I went to fetch a razor and some shaving cream, he began tapping his foot lightly; humming the now familiar tune of "I Want A Girl". Every time he played it for me he would mention how it would forever be "our song". I didn't know whether or not to take that as a compliment.

When I returned, I simply stood there and soaked in the last few moments I would have with a stubble Eddie. While in solitary confinement a thin layer of dark stubble had formed along his chiseled, pale face and I couldn't help but admire it. It was so handsome that it was almost a shame to shave it away, but shaving was protocol for each patient. I never touched Eddie's tuft though. That is, he never let me. He explained to me once that ladies loved a man with hair, so I agreed to leave it alone. The same could not be said for the sides of his head where the brain pads needed to be placed. After much debating we ultimately found a happy medium.

I let out a sigh as I patted his face lightly with a wet washcloth. He smiled back up at me in response. I wanted to return the gesture, but instead my eyes darted away automatically. Shame washed over me the minute I realized what I'd done. I wanted so badly to see the kind man I had known before the incident with the variant, but every time I looked into those beautiful eyes all I could see was the rage that had taken control of him. That variant could have well been me who he was strangling the life out of. It was hard to picture back then, but now not so much.

As I applied the cream to his chin I could feel his eyes burn my cheeks. "Are you angry with me?" He asked. I swallowed hard, "No, I'm not angry with you. Why would you think that?" He shrugged and bit his bottom lip. I began shaving his soft face with trembling hands and he became quiet again. In fact, he was unusually quiet. "Something the matter, Eddie?"

He sat there for a while; contemplating. "I don't think I'm going in for a brain scan," He muttered. I blinked in surprise, "What else would you be going in for?" He gave no response as he stared through me. "Look, between you and me, you're not due for one, but Mr. Blaire's one stubborn…" I had to choose my words carefully around Eddie. He didn't quite appreciate my foul mouth, "…donkey, so we better just do what he says, right?"

As I finished shaving him, I cleaned the excess cream from his neck and cheeks. "There you go, handsome," I said cheekily; finally able to produce a smile.

Suddenly, like lightning, Eddie's hand snapped up to latch on to my arm. His long fingers curled deep into my skin as they tightened around my forearm like a vice. A gasp escaped my throat as he roughly pulled me closer to him. His eyes grew razor sharp; cutting me to the core like ice. "Are you working for them? Those jack booted thugs? Are you going to hurt me? Don't you lie to me!" he growled through gritted teeth. His breath was fiery against my cheeks. I tried to tug myself free from his hold, but he was unrelenting. Where the hell was this coming from?

"Eddie, you know me! I would never do something that would hurt you. You're my friend. You have to know that!" I pleaded. The only thing crossing my mind at the moment was why in the hell I let the guards stay in the main room. This man was going to kill me and it was all because of my own stupidity.

Fortunately, his features began to lighten as well as his grip. Even so, he remained latched tightly onto my arm. He gave me a toothy grin, "I should know better. I'm awfully sorry. Sometimes I just get so worked up over nothing. That was silly of me, Elizabeth. Please forgive me for being so rude. It was selfish of me."

A whimper pathetically rolled out of my mouth as he let me go; my arm screaming with relief. He looked up at me smiling sheepishly; his face growing a soft pink. I stared at him for a while; rubbing the sore spot on my arm where he had fastened onto, "Let's just get you to the examination room, bud."

As we walked down the hall together I took the lead while Eddie stayed very close behind. Actually, he was a little too close for comfort. After every few steps he would occasionally step on my heels, but I decidedly ignored his duckling like antics. He would formally apologize each time he would trip me which caused a smile to form on my face.

We continued further down the hall to the examination room only to be stopped by two men; both clad in light blue, rubber suits and air masks. "Eddie Gluskin, they're ready for you," one of them said. Without warning they took Eddie firmly by the arms and began to drag him away. Eddie immediately went into panic mode and struggled to rid himself of the two men. As he writhed he began yelling out a line of obscenities that I had never heard him use before.

"Get off! Can't you see you're scaring him?" I ripped at the men's uniforms, but they continued on down the hall with Eddie in tow. A third man approached wearing the same rubber suit, but this man was someone I recognized. Although I hardly knew anything about him, he was a familiar face. To be honest, the only time we had ever met wasn't pleasant, but I had to do something, "Andrew, what's going on? Where are you taking him?"

"Mr. Blaire wants to run a few extra tests. Nothing to be afraid of I assure you. Completely harmless. We'll have him back in less than an hour. That I can promise you," Andrew muttered; brushing me off. Oh no. If he thought I was going to take that for an answer he was dead wrong. Deranged or not, Eddie was my friend.

"Please, let me come. I could put him at ease. You're obviously having enough trouble handling him as it is. Please, Andrew," I asked; slightly tipping over the edge of pleading. He fidgeted with his rubber gloves nervously and his beady eyes glanced around looking for an answer. After some time he slowly nodded, "Yes, come. I will permit you to stay with him during the duration of the tests. I'm sure Mr. Blaire will not mind. Please, follow me." After I had said my thanks, we set off down the stairs.

As we walked further on I started to hear pitiful sobs bubble out of Eddie's mouth. Fortunately, he had managed to calm down somewhat, but was now in a new state of anxiety and I really couldn't blame him. I quickened my pace to catch up with the group and made sure to stay close, so he realized I hadn't abandoned him. Whenever he got the chance, he glanced over to me; fear glazing his eyes. Helplessness overwhelmed me as he looked to me for some kind of explanation. The only thing I could do was smile and mouth a silent, "It's going to be okay."

As Andrew lead us lower and lower into the Asylum the scenery around us changed dramatically. Was I even in the same building as before? We had taken so many twists and turns it was hard to tell. What was once a bleak, colorless Asylum had suddenly transformed into something you would find on the Sci-Fi channel. The walls had turned from yellow cement to bleach white plaster, the halls smelled like chemicals and everyone was dressed in a rubber uniform. I never got the chance to stop and admire the change since the security guards made a point to push me along.

"Here's where you two part," Andrew said as we came upon an adjacent door labeled "Morphogenic Engine". Eddie turned to me; searching for support. The sudden dread that filled his eyes de-aged him tremendously. He looked as if he were six years old again. Before he and I separated, I gave him a tiny squeeze of the hand for good luck and muttered soothingly, "You'll be fine." As I started to let go he gently pulled me closer, looked me dead in the eyes and whispered, "I told you I wasn't getting a brain scan." Then he was gone. His words left me feeling strangely hollow.

Andrew then took me into a complex room where there were what I could only describe as gadgets and gizmos aplenty. The room was chock full of scientists clad in the same attire as Andrew. They buzzed around the workplace like bees in a hive all the while jotting down notes and talking in hushed tones. They all seemed to come from the same breed except for one lonely man who sat typing away at a computer. He looked different than the rest. He was wearing casual attire and he even sported a black pair of converse.

Andrew eventually left me to my own devices to turn his attention to the young man at the computer and I tried my damndest not to break anything. I let my eyes do the wandering for I didn't trust my body to not do damage to the expensive looking equipment that lay around me.

My eyes scanned over the intricate machinery but in the end what caught my full attention was the massive glass window that loomed in front of the computers. The window separated this room from an even larger contiguous room and in the center of that room was a spherical case large enough to fit a man. Tubes hung down from the contraption like seaweed off a sunken ship. It looked diabolical.

While taking in the ghastly sight, I heard a few men crow to one another, "Bring Gluskin in. Maybe we'll finally understand what's inside that brain of his." My ears rang and my head snapped around like an owl. They were planning on putting Eddie in that monstrosity?

Just then the door to the other room slammed open and I could see Eddie, who had been stripped down to only his underwear, being forcefully dragged in by multiple men. Eddie fought against them like a wild animal rebelling in a circus. "I knew it was coming! You filthy fucking machines! No, not again. Jack booted fucks!" Eddie's screams of agony made me stomach churn with disgust.

"What the fuck is this?" I demanded from Andrew. I took a step towards him and upon inspection found I was taller. This new discovery gave me a sudden burst of control which made him shrink back in fear. I was then spun around by a guard who already had his gun planted against my temple. He yelled at me to calm down immediately. "It's alright. You know how women can get sometimes. Everything's fine," Andrew talked the guard down as well as his gun.

Still Eddie continued to scream bloody murder as the men dragged him along toward the spherical chamber, "I know what you've been doing to me! Help me! They're going to rape me! Rape!" I didn't want to make another wrong move, but I knew I had to do something.

Then, with a sudden twist of his arm and a kick of his leg, Eddie was free and running toward the window. I jumped back in surprise as he slammed his huge body against the glass. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes as I could now see the horror upon Eddie's face clearly. Eddie frantically searched around for any signs of help. His eyes met mine.

"You! I know you can stop this! You have to help me! You have to!" His voice begged for me to alleviate this torture, but I had no idea how. He was once again dragged off and finally forced into the chamber. His body was contorted in such a way to fit the sphere that it pained me to look at.

Something inside me ripped in half as soon as the men started sliding plastic tubing down Eddie's throat. They pinched his jaw to open his mouth wider as they continued to cram the tubes down like they were stuffing a teddy bear. Scars started to form instantly along his face where the tubing lay and I guessed the material must have been some sort of latex. Something Eddie was severely allergic to.

The sight that sprawled out before me made my knees weak and I fell to the floor in anguish. A million thoughts tumbled around recklessly through my mind, but only one of them made it to my lips.

"What the fuck are you people doing?" I barely squeaked out. I felt a body slowly creep up behind me. In the reflection of the window I could see Jeremy Blaire holding up a large handgun by the barrel. He whispered low into my ear, "This is Project Walrider." The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Eddie's scarred face on the screen of one of the computers.


End file.
